EA Scoops Up BioWare, Pandemic

Share

EA Scoops Up BioWare, Pandemic

EA has announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to acquire VG Holding Group, a move that would net them both BioWare and Pandemic Studios. The BioWare title Mass Effect is due for release in November; Pandemic's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is scheduled for a February release.

EA will hand over as much as $620 million in cash to VG Holding Group stockholders, and will issue an additional $155 million in equity to certain key members of VG Holding. The transaction is expected to close in January 2008.

Pandemic president and co-founder Josh Resnick called EA "the ideal partner to bring our titles to market as global entertainment events," while BioWare's CEO Ray Muzyka said that "John Riccitiello's new vision for EA...is consistent with BioWare's focus on crafting the highest quality story-driven games in the world."